Ask the Author: Ira Bloom
Answered Questions (7)
Ira Bloom
If I'm really in the head of a character, sort of channeling their POV, nothing can keep me away from writing. What's happening in the story becomes more important than what's happening in the world, and writing provides the kind of escapism that I also get from reading a book that I truly love.
Ira Bloom
I'd have to go with Zorn of Zorna (whose name begins with X and doesn't) and Princess Saralinda, from James Thurber's THE THIRTEEN CLOCKS, because their relationship was true love at first sight, and who can compete with that?
Ira Bloom
I curse the gods, then I rent my garb. I mean that in the biblical sense. I frankly don't know where I'd go to find garb for rent. Then, when I'm at my lowest point, I fill a bathtub full of lukewarm water and sit in it with a razor. Fortunately, I only have twin blade razors. Did you think I was going to slit my wrists? No, I take the razor and shave my legs.
Okay, none of that is true.
No, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure there is such a thing as writers block. I could be dead wrong about this, mind you. But I think it's just an example of mood making. Everybody has a creative side, and everyone's life can be enhanced if they learn to tap into it, whether they're a plumber or a schoolteacher or a musician or a writer. But I think people who are most successful at accessing that place (mental space, if you prefer) are people who have taught themselves what works. Neil Gaiman (if I can invoke that name here) talks about making time to daydream, to let his mind wander and flit through the possibilities until he comes up with something interesting. And I'd say it's similar for me: I generally do something to distract myself and use part of my brain for a mundane activity, like driving or bicycling or working out at the gym or taking a walk. Then I try to get into the head of my character, or play out scenes in my mind. And occasionally to work out problems with the plot.
Anyway, I'm not sure I've experienced writers block, so I don't know whether I believe it's a real thing.
Though I do experience, often for extended times, periods where no progress is being made. But I attribute these to an inability to ignore distractions, or a lack of sufficient time to get into the creative place.
Okay, none of that is true.
No, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure there is such a thing as writers block. I could be dead wrong about this, mind you. But I think it's just an example of mood making. Everybody has a creative side, and everyone's life can be enhanced if they learn to tap into it, whether they're a plumber or a schoolteacher or a musician or a writer. But I think people who are most successful at accessing that place (mental space, if you prefer) are people who have taught themselves what works. Neil Gaiman (if I can invoke that name here) talks about making time to daydream, to let his mind wander and flit through the possibilities until he comes up with something interesting. And I'd say it's similar for me: I generally do something to distract myself and use part of my brain for a mundane activity, like driving or bicycling or working out at the gym or taking a walk. Then I try to get into the head of my character, or play out scenes in my mind. And occasionally to work out problems with the plot.
Anyway, I'm not sure I've experienced writers block, so I don't know whether I believe it's a real thing.
Though I do experience, often for extended times, periods where no progress is being made. But I attribute these to an inability to ignore distractions, or a lack of sufficient time to get into the creative place.
Ira Bloom
Tapping into my creativity.
Ira Bloom
Fight like a demon for your writing time.
Ira Bloom
A multiverse YA sci-fi romance.
Ira Bloom
HEARTS & OTHER BODY PARTS came entirely out of nothing. I was frustrated and disappointed when the entire publishing industry roundly rejected my book THE WRONG PRINCE, which, though flawed, I still regard as a terrific book. I was working on the sequel when it finally dawned on me that I might never actually get the first one published, so I decided to write a different book.
I started a few projects, but couldn’t recapture the enthusiasm I had for PRINCE, the first draft of which I’d written in only six months, despite the fact that I have a grueling work schedule. I can only write at night and in such scraps of time as I’m able to scrounge.
HEARTS started with Norm. I have a friend who is quite gigantic, well over seven feet tall, and he’s one of the smartest, sweetest people I know on this earth. And though Norm bears no other resemblances to my friend, who is a perfectly decent looking person, I started with the pacifist giant. I came up with an idea for a treatment of a Frankenstein’s monster-type character, as there is an abundance of vampires and werewolves and witches and zombies in YA, but I’d never heard of a Frankenstein’s monster. There must be one out there, but I don’t only read YA.
I have a tendency, with characters I really love, to want to observe them through other people’s eyes. Also, I find male POV a tad less interesting than female POV, so I came up with the idea of the female protagonist witch. I happen to have a teenage daughter whom I think the world of, and I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe her and her friends, so I had teenage girl stuff fresh in my mind. My daughter is smart, talented, and beautiful. I eventually decided to break her into three characters, sisters, and do a trilogy, each featuring a sister as the main character. There’s Esme, the protagonist of HEARTS, who is very intelligent, and who resolves her conflict with her brains. (I know, people expect witches to resolve their conflict with witchcraft, but what fun is that? “Abracadabra, you’re dead. Who wants ice-cream?” Not in my book. That’s been done a million times). Katy is a bit of a kook and very talented in every way, including with witchcraft, so she resolves her conflicts with creativity and craft. Veronica is billed as the beautiful sister, but that isn’t what makes her special. Her tenacity is what makes her the hero type. If you think of heroes, they basically are people who need to do the right thing and never give up. Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Indiana Jones… these are characters that people really love. Ronnie is that type. If there is a second book, the reader can trust that with Katy as protagonist, it will be very entertaining, because she’s a sketch. But if they really want to see an unlikely character succeed against whatever is thrown up against them, they will love Ronnie’s book. She kicks ass.
For conflict, I had the vampires be the bad guys, which set up the classic Frankenstein vs. Dracula. But the real conflict is the age-old question which has bugged me since my own high school days, namely, “Why do the coolest girls always end up going for the good-looking jerks?” But again, there are machinations within machinations, and twists at every turn.
Finally, there’s Kasha, the corpse-eating Japanese demon cat. I don’t know where the hell he came from. I certainly didn’t invite him. I think he crept in while I was contemplating some issues I was having with my cat. Anyway, I’m glad he’s there: he’s a hoot!
I started a few projects, but couldn’t recapture the enthusiasm I had for PRINCE, the first draft of which I’d written in only six months, despite the fact that I have a grueling work schedule. I can only write at night and in such scraps of time as I’m able to scrounge.
HEARTS started with Norm. I have a friend who is quite gigantic, well over seven feet tall, and he’s one of the smartest, sweetest people I know on this earth. And though Norm bears no other resemblances to my friend, who is a perfectly decent looking person, I started with the pacifist giant. I came up with an idea for a treatment of a Frankenstein’s monster-type character, as there is an abundance of vampires and werewolves and witches and zombies in YA, but I’d never heard of a Frankenstein’s monster. There must be one out there, but I don’t only read YA.
I have a tendency, with characters I really love, to want to observe them through other people’s eyes. Also, I find male POV a tad less interesting than female POV, so I came up with the idea of the female protagonist witch. I happen to have a teenage daughter whom I think the world of, and I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to observe her and her friends, so I had teenage girl stuff fresh in my mind. My daughter is smart, talented, and beautiful. I eventually decided to break her into three characters, sisters, and do a trilogy, each featuring a sister as the main character. There’s Esme, the protagonist of HEARTS, who is very intelligent, and who resolves her conflict with her brains. (I know, people expect witches to resolve their conflict with witchcraft, but what fun is that? “Abracadabra, you’re dead. Who wants ice-cream?” Not in my book. That’s been done a million times). Katy is a bit of a kook and very talented in every way, including with witchcraft, so she resolves her conflicts with creativity and craft. Veronica is billed as the beautiful sister, but that isn’t what makes her special. Her tenacity is what makes her the hero type. If you think of heroes, they basically are people who need to do the right thing and never give up. Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Indiana Jones… these are characters that people really love. Ronnie is that type. If there is a second book, the reader can trust that with Katy as protagonist, it will be very entertaining, because she’s a sketch. But if they really want to see an unlikely character succeed against whatever is thrown up against them, they will love Ronnie’s book. She kicks ass.
For conflict, I had the vampires be the bad guys, which set up the classic Frankenstein vs. Dracula. But the real conflict is the age-old question which has bugged me since my own high school days, namely, “Why do the coolest girls always end up going for the good-looking jerks?” But again, there are machinations within machinations, and twists at every turn.
Finally, there’s Kasha, the corpse-eating Japanese demon cat. I don’t know where the hell he came from. I certainly didn’t invite him. I think he crept in while I was contemplating some issues I was having with my cat. Anyway, I’m glad he’s there: he’s a hoot!
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